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RSSLeading environmental historian, author to speak in Ashland
September 30, 2010
Author and environmental historian Dr. Nancy Langston will speak in Ashland, Wis. on Thursday, October 7 and Friday, October 8 as part of the Van Evera Lecture series, a program of Northland College.
On Thursday, Dr. Langston will present “Toxic Bodies: Hormone Disruptors and the Struggles for Healthy Watersheds and Communities” at the Presbyterian Congregational Church, located at 214 Vaughn Avenue, in Ashland. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and will be open to the public free of charge. The music trio Take 3 will perform folk and acoustic music. Copies of the author’s book Toxic Bodies will be available for sale and signing.
On Friday, the public is invited to an open community summit and dialogue with the author in the Alvord Theater on Northland’s campus beginning at 1 p.m. The summit, called Sustaining Lake Superior: Building a Community Action Plan, will include a panel discussion featuring Dr. Langston and several community leaders. The summit focus on steps communities can take to sustain and strengthen the health of Lake Superior. Reservations are encouraged, and can be made by calling (715) 682-1489. Copies of the author’s book Toxic Bodies will be available for sale and signing.
Dr. Langston is one of the world’s foremost environmental historians and the author of several books, including her most recent, Toxic Bodies: Hormone Disruptors and the Legacy of DES. An exploration of synthetic chemicals and their impact on human and environmental health, Toxic Bodies has been praised by noted environmental author William Cronon as a “fascinating book,” and “a cautionary tale with profound implications for us all.”
In addition to her writing accolades, Dr. Langston is a professor in the department of forest and wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a joint appointment in the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies. A celebrated educator and researcher, Dr. Langston has been the recipient of fellowships from the Marshall Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Humanities Center, The American Philosophical Society and the American Council of Learned Societies. Her first book, Forest Dreams, Forest Nightmares, won the 1997 Forest History Society Prize for best book in forest and conservation history.
“Chemical pollution is a complex subject, and Langston does a masterful job tracing the interconnected threads of politics, science, cultural norms, and human behavior. The lessons she draws from the case of DES are urgently needed to understand carbon emissions regulation and the ongoing regulation of pesticides and endocrine disruptors,” said Clare Hintz, sustainability coordinator and environmental educator at Northland College. “Dr. Langston's visit represents the best of Northland’s academic program: the intersection of student learning and community dialogue around contemporary issues.”
The Van Evera Endowed Lectureship Fund was created so that every year Northland College could host an eminent authority to give a public lecture and lead a seminar to engage students, Chequamegon Bay area citizens, and appropriate faculty. Designed to bring these groups together around a particular environmental issue, the Van Evera Lecture and Seminar was established “to bridge teaching and research with application and action.” For more information about this event, please contact the Van Evera Lecture Coordinator, Lissa Radke by calling (715) 682-1489.
